"Should your subordinate kill those Demon Slayers who broke in?"
Kokushibo asked with genuine sincerity, but Lord Muzan did not know how to answer.
Why would the Demon Slayer Corps suddenly become so active, other than wanting to thoroughly search for traces of him? If Kokushibo suddenly rushed out, he would very likely become their primary target. Although Lord Muzan did not believe that anyone other than Yoriichi Tsugikuni could survive an encounter with him...
"No, don't alert the enemy for now."
Lord Muzan uncrossed his legs and dismissed Kokushibo's idea.
"I'll tell you the same thing as before: avoid conflicts with the Demon Slayer Corps whenever possible. Your top priority right now is to seize the time to strengthen yourself and create more meaningful kindred for me... Of standardization, the requirements remain unchanged."
"..Understood, Milord."
Kokushibo asked no further questions; whatever Lord Muzan told him to do, he would do without uttering a single word of useless chatter.
Ah, Number One is truly a reassuring presence.
......
After Kokushibo left, Lord Muzan picked up the ancient book he had not yet finished reading, bathing in the moonlight beneath the eaves. Demons do not need sleep, and the night passed in the blink of an eye.
Dawn had just broken, washing the sky in a warm orange hue. Sunlight pierced through the clouds to illuminate the earth, marking the beginning of a new day—and signaling the end of the demons' domain.
Lord Muzan closed the window slightly and put the book away, sensing a familiar aura approaching him.
It was Shoji, who had promised yesterday to come learn characters.
Looking at the newly risen sun, Shoji wondered if she was a bit too early. It would be terrible if she disturbed Milord's rest....
She had been excited all through the night, and the moment light began to peek over the horizon, she had hurried without stopping toward where Lord Muzan was staying. Because she was so eager to learn yet unsure of the exact time, she was afraid of arriving late, so she simply decided to come early and wait.
Shoji was about to sit down by the entrance of the wooden cabin when she saw the open wooden door.
"You're quite early."
Lord Muzan sat deep inside the wooden cabin, far away from the window.
*(This girl... is it only five or six in the morning? Why did she arrive so early... If I didn't have no need for sleep, she might really have had to wait quite a while.)*
Lord Muzan added another label to his evaluation of Shoji:
Diligent.
"Ah... Milord, good morning."
Shoji seemingly did not expect Lord Muzan to be up as early as she was. She was momentarily stunned, but quickly made a silent vow in her heart to study hard and not let down the other person for getting up so early.
Lord Muzan gestured for Shoji to come and sit, and after telling her some necessary knowledge, he began his lesson:
Lord Muzan's Little Classroom is now in session—
What a wondrous scene. If any members of the Demon Slayer Corps were to come here right now, they would probably go blind from shock and think they were dreaming.
The Demon King, who in their eyes slaughtered countless people and committed all sorts of evil, was actually teaching an ordinary human how to read? It was simply unbelievable to anyone outside.
......
Lord Muzan picked up a pencil and wrote a large character for "human" on a piece of white paper.
"This is the character for human."
Shoji tilted her head, staring intently at the character as if trying to decipher some profound mystery within it.
Lord Muzan paused for a moment, then wrote down the character for "demon".
"This is the character for demon, and I am a demon, too."
Lord Muzan did not shy away from letting Shoji know his true identity, since they already knew he was not human when they first met. Yet he still secretly watched Shoji's expression, expecting her to be frightened and terrified, but to his surprise... the girl merely stared at the character, a flash of awe crossing her eyes, before her expression quickly turned resolute.
"Lord Muzan, I am not afraid of demons."
Lord Muzan was somewhat surprised; he had not expected the girl to say this. Looking into Shoji's resolute eyes, Lord Muzan understood that she was not lying.
"If you are not afraid of demons simply because I am one, then I can only tell you that your choice is wrong."
"I don't kill you people simply because it is my choice right now; that doesn't mean other demons won't."
Lord Muzan stated these cold facts, and upon hearing them, Shoji indeed froze for a second as the light in her eyes dimmed. But quickly, as if having made up her mind, she clenched her fists:
"No, Lord Muzan! I believe you are different."
"I have seen many of my own kind. Though they are human... the things they do are far more monstrous than actual demons. I hate them, but I do not hate you. I am deeply grateful to you for saving my life and sparing me, and I am also grateful that you are willing to teach me how to read!"
"If... if we cannot generalize, then I believe! At least in my eyes, Lord Muzan is definitely a benevolent demon!"
Shoji's words left Lord Muzan stunned.
Watching the fighting spirit burning in the girl's eyes, Lord Muzan suddenly laughed out loud:
*(What is this... this feeling of being acknowledged?)*
It wasn't terrible; for Lord Muzan, it was quite beneficial.
"Very well, Shoji. But you must remember, whether human or demon, there is no absolute good or evil. The key lies in how we choose our actions."
Shoji nodded with a half-understanding look, a resolute glow shining in her eyes.
Lord Muzan continued teaching Shoji how to read, moving from simple strokes to complex Chinese characters, from common vocabulary to ancient allusions.
Shoji studied with extreme dedication, occasionally asking questions, which Lord Muzan answered patiently.
Inside this tiny wooden cabin, time seemed to stand still, accompanied only by the rustling sound of the pencil scratching against paper and the sound of their conversation.
Before they knew it, the sun had slowly drifted from the east to the west, and sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Shoji in its warmth. Time flew by in a flash, and afternoon had already arrived.
Shoji rubbed her eyes, feeling somewhat exhausted, but her face beamed with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you, Lord Muzan! I've learned so many characters!"
Undeniably, Shoji possessed a very strong aptitude for learning. She only needed to see how most characters were written twice, and hear their meanings twice, to master them.
Looking at the girl, a nameless emotion welled up inside Lord Muzan's heart.
Perhaps this was what they called "the bond between teacher and student". Neither before his transmigration nor in the year since he arrived had Lord Muzan ever felt such a strong sense of superiority from teaching someone something.
"Very well, Shoji. You have learned many characters already; you can try reading books on your own now."
Shoji nodded excitedly. With Lord Muzan's permission, she picked up a book, opened it with utmost care, and began to read it character by character.
Though she was still somewhat unskillful with certain characters and could not understand many others, she was already able to roughly grasp the meaning of the text.
Watching the girl, Lord Muzan could not help but think:
*(Is this what a genius is... Humans are always so dazzling, no matter the era.)*
*(....? Wait, what kind of thought was that?)*
Lord Muzan could not understand why he would suddenly think this way, especially since... he himself used to be a human.
He stood up, walked over to the window, and stopped right at the edge of where the sunlight could not reach, looking out at the land outside.
Something felt a bit wrong...
Lord Muzan could sense that the longer he stayed in this world, his emotions—once those of a human—seemed to be changing.
Why was this happening?
Would he truly become a heinous evil demon and ultimately meet his past end?....
*(....No, better not to think about it.)*
He took a deep breath, composed himself, and pushed these random thoughts out of his mind.
"Shoji, you must remember to face any difficulties with courage. As long as there is light in your heart, nothing can block your path forward."
Impelled by some inexplicable urge, Lord Muzan spoke these words, his voice soft yet carrying an imperceptible gentleness as he murmured them.
Shoji naturally heard him and nodded, her eyes flashing with resolute brilliance.
She knew that this Demon King, despite his cold exterior, was filled with warmth and strength within.
She secretly swore that she must study hard and live up to Lord Muzan's expectations.
And inside this tiny wooden cabin, the gears of fate began to turn.